Luxury Travel & Lifestyle Trends

Over the last couple years, ART has become a central focus for hoteliers due to its appeal to affluent consumers (i.e. art is a part of an affluent lifestyle), its ability to add personality to any room, and the value it adds to the guest experience. An added benefit - it can be a very good investment over time. As a result, we’re seeing more and more hotels creating distinctive interiors by keeping up with some of the hottest trends affecting the art market.

You’ve got to aim to get your message everywhere for maximum impact, giving your target markets the chance to listen to it, watch it, and read it - whenever they want it. Ubiquity is a watchword because of the fragmentation of people’s media consumption habits, as in we can no longer count on reaching the masses at least once through several media channels (an exception possibly being the Super Bowl).

Just about everyone is in agreement, and above all affluent travelers, that the hotel star system worldwide has lost credibility. The proof of the pudding? Hotels have had to call themselves six or seven star to affirm their luxury credentials.

Anyone who doubts the committed audience of online communities should have gone with me to Miami Yelp’s Spice Trade hosted by the Mandarin Oriental, where local reviewers could mesh in real life. It was quite a happening, with some of the Miami’s leading restaurants offering up Chinese dumplings, Indian curry, California rolls, cupcakes, and exotic drinks to match.

There are increasingly more articles in the mass media about hotels not rate-cutting or offering value adds – a sign that times are starting to change. So what’s the deal? Quality seems to making a comeback as a motivator in buying decisions of the affluent (though in the case of a few brands such Hermes, that was never a factor, as it was one of the luxury brands that had the lowest drop in sales in this year’s Great Recession).

Until now, being “green” has predominantly meant selling eco-friendly products or services. But this year’s tough economy presents a new opportunity for businesses to take environmental stewardship to a new level – by helping customers buy less stuff. But it has to be the “right stuff.”

Value added alone is not enough. Early in 2009, many marketers thought that offering “value adds” would be enough - i.e. a four-night stay for the price of three, a resort credit, a free dessert when ordering an entrée, etc. As the year progressed, it was obvious that these initiatives weren’t enough. The overall rate had to be priced right as well.

Recently I was a guest speaker at a Preferred Hotel Group conference, and a question on the minds of many was, “Do the affluent use social media?”

An excerpt from Karen Weiner Escalera’s speech last week in Palm Beach for the Luxury Marketing Council last week, as reported by The Palm Beach Daily News: “Value rules the day at all price points,” she said, reminding the audience that before the global recession kicked in last year, excess was in vogue.”It’s a badge of honor for consumers to get things at a good price.”

Anyone working in PR can tell you about the bombardment of invites in their inboxes for seminars, webinars and conferences for social media and SEO training. This indicates a demand for more education on the topic, and according to these results, it’s paying off.